French Parliament Passes Law Banning Political Islam
The French National Assembly, with 354 votes, criminalized the instrumentalization of religion for political purposes. Any threat or assault motivated by Islamist ideologies will result in up to three years imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros. Government employees must maintain religious neutrality.
The “Republican Values” bill, which has been under review in the French National Assembly since early February, was passed with 354 votes in favor against 151 votes against. The measure must pass a Senate vote by the end of March to be enacted.
This law, drafted on the initiative and call of Emmanuel Macron, will serve as the basis and strategy for aligning Muslim society with the fundamental values of French society. Mohamed Moussaoui, head of the French Muslim Council, had signed the republican values charter one month earlier.
France, with approximately 6 million Muslims, has the largest Muslim population among Western European countries. In October 2020, after Samuel Paty, a history teacher, was beheaded by an Islamist, pressure against political Islam and its consequences in France intensified.
Under the “Political Islam Ban” law, all French children must attend a public and recognized school from age three onward. Home schooling for children will only be permitted in exceptional cases.
According to the measure, government employees must maintain religious neutrality, and any threat or assault based on Islamist motivations can result in up to three years in prison and up to 75,000 euros in fines. Any foreigner who violates the law’s provisions will be expelled from France.
Under this law, associations and cultural, social, and religious organizations will be subject to closer scrutiny. Polygamy or potential forced marriages will also be carefully monitored. The measure contains a serious emphasis on equal rights between men and women.
In October 2020, when announcing the main provisions of this law, Macron referred to the necessity of a “progressive and liberal Islam” in France, but conservatives and far-right extremists did not consider the measures determined to counter Islamism sufficient.
In contrast, left-wing forces and some French Islamic groups have labeled this law as “Islamophobia” and assessed it as strengthening prejudice and stigmatization of Muslims.
France has repeatedly been the scene of bloody terrorist attacks motivated by Islamist ideology in recent years. Laicism or state secularism is considered an inseparable part of French national identity, and freedom of expression in schools and other public spaces is an inseparable part of this identity.
Source: DW
